Neverending Nightmare
by MaplePucks
Summary: The expedition outside of the Walls has gone awry. The female titan has decimated the Scouts, and they are regrouping to go back to the town. But during roll call, a cadet comes up as missing. Eren's childhood friend Armin. Having already lost so many friends, Eren is about to let them leave Armin behind. Fueled by anger, he goes alone into the Titan forest to find him.


**Hello all!**

 **A slightly depressing Attack on Titan fic for you here. It's based off the first season, and contains spoilers for some of those episodes. Ah yes, I ship Annie and Armin, can't help it. I love the both of them.**

 **Enjoy, comment and fave!**

* * *

"KIRSTIEN?"

"HERE, SIR!"

"SPRINGER?"

"HERE, SIR."

"BLOUSE?"

"SIR!"

"ACKERMAN?"

"RIGHT HERE, SIR!"

"ARLERT?"

….

"ARMIN ARLERT?

….

"Mark Arlert down as missing in action and lets move on." The commander said forcefully to the cadet writing down names. He went to call another name but was interrupted.

"Armin is missing?!"

"Jeager, no one gave you permission to speak. Go back to your wagon and rest. That is an order." He barked, insensitive to Eren's shock that his childhood friend was missing.

They were in the middle of a large scale operation, out in Titan country. They had already run into the female titan and were regrouping. If they stood still too much longer, they would be asking for another attack from her and her Titan minions.

Mikasa was at Eren's side at this point. He was getting mad and panicked now, his face contorting with a pre-rage irritation tick only he could muster. It was usual state of mind for him but Mikasa attempted to calm him down, the best she could.

"Armin is a smart guy, Eren." She said plainly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I bet he is working his way to us through the forest right now."

"But if a Titan attacks, he's dead meat! He's shit on the battlefield and you know it!" Eren protested loudly. The commander of the mission turned away and motioned for them to move out, with a roll of his eyes. He looked back to Eren and scowled.

"He should have stayed with the group." He said to Eren simply.

The large caravan of soldiers started moving around them, the wagons creaking and groaning in protest to match the tired soldiers. Eren stood still, watching them go with Mikasa still beside him. He was wide eyed, staring at the retreating back of a monster far worse than any Titan.

"He doesn't even care… Armin is out there, he could be injured or need help! Why doesn't he care?! Armin is one of his solider's, heartless bastard!" Eren asked, his fist clutched to the trigger of his 3D gear.

"Maybe he does, Eren, but right now his priority is going to be protect the soldiers he can see in danger right now. We really do have to get moving, the female Titan could come back at- "

"I don't care! I can take her if she does! I'm not leaving Armin behind! He wouldn't leave us!" Eren yelled. With a flick, his gear was launched, pulling him into the trees. And a few quick pulls, he was out of sight.

"EREN!"

He didn't look back, he didn't dare. The only thing on his mind was getting to Armin and bringing him back to everyone. Eren had to make sure he was safe. Then of course, he'd kick his ass for wandering away from the group.

Mikasa was right, Armin was really smart, too smart sometimes, but he had a lot of common sense mixed with his book smarts. Knowing that, Eren assumed that if left on his own, Armin probably went high into the trees. Regular class Titans couldn't reach him up there. Even an abnormal would have a hard time if he got high enough.

Which was why Eren was more than certain that Armin was injured somewhere in the forest. Because Mikasa was also right about the fact that Armin should have worked his way to them by that point.

No matter how he pictured it, Armin should have been with them. Eren was fearing the worst, that he may never find Armin. Or whatever was left of him.

Shooting from tree to tree, he looked around wildly, "ARMIN?!" He called, wanting to hear his friend's voice in response. Weak, injured, raspy, Eren didn't care what kind of call back he got, he only wanted one.

The deeper he got into the forest, the more panicked he became. Where was his friend?! He shot high into a tree to rest for a moment. Hope was starting to leave him as he caught his breath, pulling much need air into his lungs. In the back of his mind, he knew his friend was already dead. That there wasn't much he could do and that he should have listened to Mikasa and the Commander. But he also hated the thought of abandoning someone. Levi's squad massacre had been enough for him. A wake up call. If he could help, these was no way he would ever sit on the side again. He trusted Armin but now, he would never rely on his trust in others.

Before he rocketed off again, something caught his eye a few branches down. All he could see were two boots, standard issue with a cadet uniform and the tops of two pair of legs but he knew right away who they belonged to. His heart leaped into his throat.

"ARMIN!" He yelled, propelling down to him as fast as he could. "Dammit, you had us so worried, come on, we-"

As quickly as his heart had soared, it dropped like a rock again to the pit of his stomach. He staggered back from the scene his had discovered, the branch threateningly too small to contain his horror filled steps. It didn't make any sense. None at all. How… how had this happened?

Armin's body was clearly lifeless, as his limbs hung unnaturally at his sides. To make sure, Eren went over and checked his pulse, though he knew it was useless from the damage done. Eren stared for a long time at the blood on his friend. No Titan could have done this. Not even by accident. A freak gear malfunction? No.

The Titan pairing blade, imbedded so deep into Armin's chest it was pinning him to the tree, was put there on purpose. A deliberate fatal strike against his passive, caring friend. Who would want to kill Armin? Slowly, Eren took shaky steps over, touching the hilt of the blade. It was tangible under his finger tips. This wasn't a dream. It a day filled with nightmarish horror, this seemed unimaginable.

Eren pulled and pulled at the blade, trying to free his friend. Because the blade was so mailable, it must have gotten bent going into the tree. Armin was effectively anchored. This was going from bad to worse, Eren had to figure out how to get his friend's body free. There was no way he was just going to leave him in the Titan country like this. He deserved a proper cremation at the very least.

Suddenly, he heard a thump. Then another. Eren's eyes went wide. Footsteps. A Titan! He pulled harder and desperately but nothing would make the blade budge. This was not going well.

There was a rustle in the trees behind him and he whipped around. He brought his thumb up to his mouth, prepared to bite down. If he had to protect Armin with his Titan form, then damn the rules, he would.

Footstep after footstep came closer and then trees rustled faster. Eren's jaw shook as he waited for a visual before biting down.

"EREN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Eren's already racing heart nearly slammed out of his chest as Mikasa landed hard on the branch with him. His thumb flew from his mouth as he looked to her. It took a few moments for him to register, to be able to speak.

"Mikasa… Armin's dead." He said, moving aside so she could get a look at hi body. He saw her eyes widen her, expression darkened. She didn't come closer to Armin but she was quiet for a long few moments. The only sound was that of the foot falls getting closer.

All at once, Mikasa moved with cat like quickness, jutting out her hand to grab Eren's. "We've got to go. There is a Titan coming." She said robotically, tugging on his arm. He stood there, staring at her. He certainly didn't expect hysterics from Mikasa but something a little more than that would have been appropriate. He pulled his hand from her, no easy feat with her death like grip.

"Our best friend is dead and that's all you have to say! Help me get the blade out of his chest, it's stuck! We can bring him back with us at least!" He yelled, growing angry once again.

Mikasa shot him and angry look of her own, boring into his eye. Eren withered under the glare. Holy shit she was pissed! "We don't have time. Titan's are swarming the area, we have to go. I'm sorry about Armin, I am, but we can't stay."

His tempered flared to equal hers, "No! I only hear one Titan, I can take him on in a heart beat! You can go back if you wanna but I'm saving Armin!"

"You can't save him if he's dead!"

"Screw you, Mikasa! Armin was our-"

Behind them, a thick branch snapped in half and they whirled around to find a Titan. A large one, not colossus big but bigger than others to reach this far up the tree. It's face leered at them, with a sadistic grin before reaching it's hand up toward them.

Mikasa reacted first, grabbing Eren by the waist. As she slung him over her shoulders, his mind was trigged into horrible flashbacks. All he saw was his mother in the rubble, leaving her behind has Hanz carried him to safety. He stared at Armin, feeling helpless. Useless. Just like all those years ago. Why wasn't he strong enough yet to protect those he loved?

The pair landed on a higher branch, looking down at the Titan investigating Armin's body. At least, Eren thought, Titan's didn't eat dead bodies. They generally ignored them. Once that Titan cleared out, he and Mikasa could go back down and retrieve Armin's body. That thought comforted Eren as he relaxed slightly. The only thing he had to worry about is that Titan getting a whiff of them in the trees. Mikasa could take on the Titan without issue, he wasn't worried about that. He only wanted to get Armin back with them.

But his heart dropped again, for the second time. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a nightmare, it had to be. He wasn't awake, he was in the training barracks, he wasn't a Scout yet. Eren squeezed his eyes shut but Mikasa grabbed his hand and shook it. Reality snapped his eyes open and burned the horror in his memory forever.

He watched as Armin came to, slowly picking his head up. His eyes were glossy, he didn't react to the Titan leering at him. Eren watched in a fit of repulsion; like all those years ago, the Titan pulled his friend free from his internment, just like his mother had been freed. The blade stayed in the tree, leaving it's own gaping hole in Armin's chest.

That killed him, that had to of killed him. Please let that have killed him, Eren thought desperately. It was better than being eaten. He wanted to move, to pull Armin from the Titan's grasp but he was frozen to the spot. It was horrific, the blood was cascading off Armin, raining down to the forest below. It made Eren sick.

His stomach lunged, Armin looked right at them, the Titan was opening his jaws to take a bite. Armin coughed up blood.

"A-Annie… "

A tremendous snap echoed off the trees, bouncing around in Eren's ears, and Armin was gone, half of him at least. Into the mouth of the Titan. Eren threw up, watching the upper half of his friend dangle from the Titan's grasp. Indiscernible chucks of humanity fell to the ground. No… no Armin really was dead now. It all happened so fast but felt like eons to Eren, watching in slow motion.

Mikasa seized him once again but he didn't protest. He let himself be carried, away from the scene, away from the forest. At the moment he wished he could be carried away from everything. A pitiful, worthless feeling spread over him. For the second time that day, he had watched people die. Because of him, in spite of him, didn't matter.

Never again, Eren thought as he balled his fist, kicking off of Mikasa. He engaged his gear and swung into the trees, heading back.

Never again would he let someone die if he could stop it.


End file.
